Choice
by daevilgenius
Summary: “I chose to” he said softly, tucking a lose strand of her hair behind her ear. Royai. Spoilers for chapter 61.


Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.

Spoilers: Latest manga chapter spoilers.

**Chapter 1: Choices**

_Please, burn and crush my back…_

_And let me become Riza Hawkeye as an individual._

Roy stared at her eyes, those hazel brown eyes, too beautiful to have been tainted with the ugly sights of war. There was no stopping her, he knew and it hurt him (the girl he once knew is no more), but he understood her reasons and there was no denying them.

Riza lead Roy to an abandoned house nearby. She looked around and once convinced there was nobody close at hand, she began taking off her military jacket. "Here?" Roy questioned, unsure of the place. "We can make it look as though it was an accident, that you were burning bodies and I was caught in the blaze", she said. She tried to sound calm but Roy caught the slight tremble in her speech. "You have to burn my jacket and shirt as well".

"You don't have to do this Riza", he said as he approached her. "Yes I do Mr. Mustang" her reply resolute. "Let me become who I am, and not who my father made me". She turned her back facing Roy as she lifted her black shirt over her head, revealing the intricate alchemic design tattooed on her back. Roy slipped on his gloves and poised to strike but hesitated.

"Mr. Mustang?"

"This… this will hurt".

"I know…"

Sprawled on her front, Riza gripped the sheets, clenched her jaw and held in the tears as the medics worked on her back. No questions were asked. Too many have already been left unanswered in the war.

Roy waited outside the ward, cold sweat trickled down his forehead as screams echoed in his head. He had heard so many, so infinitely many screams caused by his flames, but none came close to how he felt when he heard hers. The scorching heat, the feel of melting flesh and the searing pain. He could feel it in his heart. As every person he had used his flames upon, he could feel the burn (a set of mind to self torture, his guilt to feel the pain within himself) but with Riza, he felt it tenfold. Though careful to only burn the most crucial symbol of the array, though his talents have been proven worthy of its title, he was powerless to make burning the human skin any less excruciating.

"I'm not even going to ask what happened Roy", Doctor Knox said as he stepped out of the ward. Roy looked up and asked, "how is she?"

"2nd degree burns, you know what it's like", he replied as continued to wipe his hands with a piece of cloth, seemingly oblivious to Roy's sudden intake of breath. "I've given medication to help with the pain but as you can see", he vaguely gestured his surroundings "we're a little bit low on medication". It seemed almost like an understatement.

Roy looked around. The hospital was packed to the brim. Nurses and doctors were bustling everywhere. Patients lined the corridors on wheeled beds and wheelchairs. "Idiots still think they can get a medal for being injured at the front", Knox sneered. "Bet half of them are self inflicted".

Roy stayed silent, hardly paying any attention to the doctor beside him. "You can see her, she's awake", he told him.

Roy let out a small chuckle, and tilted his head back onto the wall. "Of all things I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of seeing her". "She'll be even more upset if you don't", the doctor replied as he strode away. He turned his head back and looked at the alchemist, "the war is over, don't be such a cowardly bastard and tell her you love her". Roy was left speechless as he watched the doctor turn at the corner.

He braced himself and entered the room. The nurses were clearing things away and were blocking Riza from his view. He waited for them to leave before approaching her bed. Her head was turned away from the door. She laid on her front with nothing on her back apart from the bandages placed on the burn and a sheet up till her waist. He moved closer to her and moved towards the other side of the bed.

Her eyes were closed tightly and he could see tear stains on her cheeks. Her knuckles were white, having held the sheet too tightly. "Riza?" he said softly as he sat on the chair next to her bed.

She opened her eyes slowly and Roy let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. "Thank you", she said, her voice barely audible. Roy didn't' know how to reply so he merely nodded.

"Please don't look at me like that Mr. Mustang. I wanted you to do this", she said, her voice trembling slightly. She moved to position herself into a more comfortable position and flinched at the sudden stab of pain. A solitary tear flowed down her cheek as she shut her eyes tightly.

Roy wiped the tear away, and she opened her eyes. "It pains me to see you like this", he said, his eyes on her back. For the first time, his eyes were oblivious to the array. Instead, it was fixed on the white bandage on her back and the reddening skin surrounding it. His brow was furrowed and his eyes reflected a deep sense of remorse. "It pains me even more to know I'm the cause of it".

Riza stretched out her right hand and placed it atop his. Roy looked at her. He slid off his chair to kneel next to her so as to see eye to eye, her hand now grasped firmly in his. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You have always been Riza Hawkeye to me", he whispered and unexpected of him, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Mr…" she started but he placed a finger on her lips.

"Call me Roy".

"Roy?"

He stood up and walked to the door. "I'll ask the nurses to give you something more for the pain. I'm sure I can persuade them. May as well take full advantage of having a state license", he said, a small hint of a smirk on his lips. She gave him a lopsided smile, and he chuckled softly. "You should sleep. I'll be here when you wake up", he said and he left the room.

It was late into the night when Riza woke up to a searing pain that was gradually becoming worse. She turned her head to see Roy asleep on the chair by the window. His head was tilted to the side and mouth slightly open. His arms hung limply over the armrest and his military jacket was slung onto the back of the chair.

"Roy" she said, her voice soft and raspy, his name still foreign on her tongue. He hadn't heard her. "Roy", she said, slightly louder and he jerked awake.

He quickly got up and kneeled beside her bed.

"Riza, are you alright?"

He felt stupid for asking her as even though the room was enveloped in semi-darkness he could see her face was scrunched up in obvious pain. He immediately stood up and called for a nurse. She had somewhat relaxed again after being given another dose of painkillers.

"You didn't have to stay", she said as the pain slowly began to ebb away and sleep taking over.

"I chose to" he said softly, tucking a lose strand of her hair behind her ear. She blushed to his touch. She looked up at him quizzically, "Roy?"

"Shh…go to sleep", he uttered softly.

With that, she closed her eyes and let medication take over.

Chapter 2 coming soon... I hope. I guess it depends how many comments I get. No flames please, I'm still kinda new at his fanfiction thing but constructive critism is appreciated.


End file.
